The Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement in India

Khilafat movement:

• The Khilafat movement was a political-religious movement launched by Indian Muslims in 1919 to support the Ottoman Empire and its Caliph, who was also the spiritual leader of Muslims worldwide.

• The movement was launched after the end of World War I, which saw the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by the Allied powers.

• The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, resulted in the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire and the loss of its territories.

• The treaty also abolished the Ottoman Caliphate, which was a significant religious institution for Muslims, and transferred control of the holy places of Islam, including Mecca and Medina, to the control of the Saud family of Arabia.

• Indian Muslims, led by the Ali brothers - Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali - saw this as an insult to their religious sentiments and launched the Khilafat movement to protest against the British government's decision to support the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire.

• The movement was supported by the Indian National Congress, which saw it as an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims in the struggle for Indian independence.

• Mahatma Gandhi, who had earlier returned to India from South Africa, also supported the movement and saw it as a way to mobilize masses and launch a non-cooperation movement against the British.

• The Khilafat movement was marked by large-scale protests, demonstrations, and strikes by Muslims all over India.

• The movement also saw the emergence of new leaders, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who later became a prominent Indian nationalist leader.

• The Khilafat movement, which started as a religious protest, soon turned into a political movement, and in 1920, it merged with the Non-Cooperation movement, which was launched by Mahatma Gandhi.

The Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement in India

Introduction:

• The Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement was initiated in early 1920 to seek redressal of grievances of the Indian Muslims on the issue of Khilafat.

• The movement gained momentum and became a popular upsurge in 1921 and 1922.

This article discusses the major events and decisions taken during the movement.

Events till 1920:

Joint Hindu-Muslim deputation (February 1920):

• A joint deputation of Hindus and Muslims was sent to the Viceroy to seek redressal of grievances on the Khilafat issue, but it was unsuccessful.

Gandhi's announcement (February 1920):

• In February 1920, Gandhi announced that he would lead a movement of non-cooperation if the terms of the peace treaty failed to satisfy the Indian Muslims.

• He believed that the Khilafat question had overshadowed the issues of Punjab wrongs and constitutional advance.

Treaty of Sevres (May 1920):

• The Treaty of Sevres, signed in May 1920, completely dismembered Turkey , which further intensified the Khilafat agitation.

All-party conference at Allahabad (June 1920):

• An all-party conference at Allahabad approved a programme of boycott of schools, colleges, and law courts, and asked Gandhi to lead it.

Khilafat Committee campaign (August 31, 1920):

• The Khilafat Committee launched a campaign of non-cooperation, and the movement was formally launched.

Congress approves non-cooperation programme (September 1920):

• At a special session in Calcutta, the Congress approved a non-cooperation programme till the Punjab and Khilafat wrongs were removed and Swaraj was established.

• The programme included boycott of government schools and colleges, law courts, legislative councils, foreign cloth, and use of Khadi instead.

• The second phase included mass civil disobedience.

Nagpur session of the Indian National Congress (December 1920):

• The programme of non -cooperation was endorsed at the Nagpur session of the Indian National Congress.

• The Congress also made important changes in its creed, committing itself to an extra constitutional mass struggle.

• Gandhi declared that if the non-cooperation programme was implemented completely, Swaraj would be ushered in within a year.

The Spread of the Non-Cooperation Movement

National Educational Institutions

• Thousands of students left government schools and colleges and joined around 800 national schools and colleges

• Organized under the leadership of Acharya Narendra Dev, C.R. Das, Lala Lajpat Rai, Zakir Hussain, Subhash Bose, and included Jamia Millia at Aligarh, Kashi Vidyapeeth, Gujarat Vidyapeeth, and Bihar Vidyapeeth.

Lawyers' Participation

• Many lawyers gave up their practice, including Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, C.R. Das, C. Rajagopalachari, Saifuddin Kitchlew, Vallabhbhai Patel, Asaf Ali, T. Prakasam, and Rajendra Prasad.

Public Burning of Foreign Cloth

• Heaps of foreign cloth were burnt publicly, and their imports fell by half.

Picketing of Shops Selling Foreign Liquor and Toddy Shops

• Picketing was undertaken at many places.

Tilak Swaraj Fund

• The Tilak Swaraj Fund was oversubscribed, and one crore rupees were collected.

Congress Volunteer Corps

• Congress volunteer corps emerged as the parallel police.

Call to Resign from Army

• In July 1921, the Ali brothers gave a call to the Muslims to resign from the army as it was unreligious.

• Gandhi echoed their call and asked local Congress committees to pass similar resolutions.

Civil Disobedience

• The Congress gave a call to local Congress bodies to start civil disobedience if it was thought that the people were ready for it.

No-Tax Movement

• A no-tax movement against union board taxes in Midnapore (Bengal) and in Guntur (Andhra)
  was going on

Local struggles-

• local struggles  such as Awadh Kisan Movement (UP) , Eka Movement
  (UP) , Mappila Revolt (Malabar) , and the Sikh agitation for
  the removal of mahants in Punjab.

People's Response to Non-Cooperation Movement

Introduction:

• The non-cooperation movement was a mass movement launched by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

• It aimed at achieving independence from British rule through non-violent means. However, the response of people from different classes and backgrounds towards this movement varied.

Middle Class:

• Initially, people from the middle class led the movement, but later they showed reservations about Gandhi's programme.

• In cities like Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, the response to Gandhi's call was very limited.

• The call for resignation from the government service, surrendering of titles, etc., was not taken seriously. However, leaders like Rajendra Prasad in Bihar and Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat provided solid support.

Business Class:

• The economic boycott received support from the Indian business group because they had benefited from the nationalists' emphasis on the use of swadeshi.

• But a section of the big business remained sceptical towards the movement, fearing labour unrest in their factories.

Peasants:

• Peasants' participation was massive, and they turned against the landlords and traders.

• The movement gave an opportunity to the toiling masses to express their real feelings against the British as well as against their Indian masters and oppressors (landlords and traders).

• In Bihar, the confrontation between the 'lower and upper castes' on the issue of the former taking the sacred thread got merged with the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Students:

• Students became active volunteers of the movement, and thousands of them left government schools and colleges and joined national schools and colleges.

• The newly opened national institutions like the Kashi Vidyapeeth, the Gujarat Vidyapeeth, and the Jamila Milia Islamia and others accommodated many students.

Women:

• Women gave up purdah and offered their ornaments for the Tilak Fund.

• They joined the movement in large numbers and took an active part in picketing before the shops selling foreign cloth and liquor.

Hindu-Muslim Unity:

• The massive participation of Muslims and the maintenance of communal unity, despite the events like Moppila Uprisings, were great achievements.

• In many places, two-thirds of those arrested were Muslims, and such type of participation had neither been seen in the past nor would be seen in the future.

• Gandhi and other leaders addressed the Muslim masses from mosques, and Gandhi was even allowed to address meetings of Muslim women in which he was the only male who was not blindfolded.

The Last Phase of the Movement

Introduction:

• In the early 1920s, Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress launched the Non-Cooperation Movement as part of their struggle for India's independence from British rule.

• However, the movement was brought to an abrupt end due to the Chauri Chaura Incident, which prompted Gandhi to withdraw the movement.

Increasing pressure to start civil disobedience:

• Gandhi was under increasing pressure from the Congress rank and file to start the civil disobedience program.

• At the Ahmedabad session in 1921, Gandhi was appointed as the sole authority on the issue.

• On February 1, 1922, Gandhi threatened to launch civil disobedience from Bardoli, Gujarat, if political prisoners were not released and press controls were not removed.

Chauri Chaura Incident:

• On February 5, 1922, a violent incident occurred in Chauri Chaura, a small village in Gorakhpur district, United Provinces, which prompted Gandhi to withdraw the movement.

• The police had beaten up the leader of a group of volunteers campaigning against liquor sale and high food prices and opened fire on the protesting crowd before the police station.

• The agitated crowd torched the police station with policemen inside who had taken shelter there.

• Those who tried to flee were hacked to death and thrown back into the fire, resulting in the deaths of 22 policemen.

• Gandhi, unhappy with the increasingly violent trend of the movement, immediately announced the withdrawal of the movement.

Congress Working Committee's resolution:

• The Congress Working Committee met at Bardoli in February 1922 and resolved to stop all activity that led to breaking the law and to get down to constructive work.

• Constructive work included popularizing khadi, national schools, and campaigning for temperance, Hindu-Muslim unity, and against untouchability.

Nationalist leaders' reaction:

• Most of the nationalist leaders, including C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru, Subhash Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, expressed their bewilderment at Gandhi's decision to withdraw the movement.

Gandhi's arrest and court speech:

• In March 1922, Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to six years in jail.

• Gandhi made a memorable court speech, in which he stated that he was inviting and submitting cheerfully to the highest penalty that could be inflicted upon him for what in law was deliberate crime, and what appeared to him to be the highest duty of a citizen.

Note-

• In 1924: The Khilafat Movement comes to an end after the abolition of the Caliphate by the Turkish government.

Positive And Negative Effects of The Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement:

The Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement in India had both positive and negative effects:

Positive effects:

Raised political awareness:

• The movement served as a major platform for educating the masses about their political rights and the need to fight for them.

Encouraged nationalism:

• The movement sparked a wave of nationalism across India, promoting unity and the idea of a free, independent India.

Empowered Muslims:

• The Khilafat movement empowered Muslims who had been marginalized by British rule and provided them with a sense of agency and purpose.

Promoted indigenous industries:

• The Non-Cooperation Movement promoted the use of indigenous products and industries, such as khadi, to reduce economic dependence on British goods.

Negative effects:

Violence:

• The movement witnessed violent protests and riots, particularly during the Chauri Chaura incident, which led to loss of life and property.

Economic setback:

• The Non-Cooperation Movement resulted in the boycott of British goods, which hurt Indian businesses and led to a temporary setback in the Indian economy.

Hindu-Muslim divide:

• The Khilafat movement was primarily led by Muslims, which further widened the divide between Hindus and Muslims, leading to communal tensions

Failure:

• Despite the enthusiasm and massive participation of the masses, the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement did not achieve their goals of restoring the Caliphate or attaining complete independence from British rule.

Important Leaders of Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement

The Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement was a significant event in the Indian freedom struggle. Here are the important leaders who played a key role in this movement:

Mahatma Gandhi:

• He was the main force behind the Non-Cooperation Movement and urged the people to adopt swadeshi principles and habits, including hand spinning, weaving, and work for the removal of untouchability.

• He suspended the movement after an outburst of violence at Chauri Chaura in UP in February 1922.

C.R. Das:

• He moved the main resolution on non-cooperation in the annual session of the Congress in Nagpur in 1920 and played a major role in promoting the movement.

• He boycotted the law courts and gave up a lucrative practice.

• His wife, Basanti Debi, was one of the first women volunteers to court arrest in 1921.

Jawaharlal Nehru:

• He carried on the non-cooperation propaganda and encouraged the formation of kisan sabhas to take up the cause of the peasants exploited by government policies.

• He was against Gandhi's decision to withdraw the movement.

J.M. Sengupta:

• He was a Bengali nationalist leader who supported the labourers on tea plantations in Assam in their protests and strike.

Birendranath Sasmal:

• He organised the anti-union board agitation in the Contai and Tamluk sub-divisions of Midnapore.

• In November-December 1921, Samsal initiated a no-tax movement among the Mahishya substantial tenantry of Midnapore.

Subhas Chandra Bose:

• He supported the movement and resigned from the civil service. He was appointed the principal of the National College in Calcutta.

Ali Brothers:

• Shaukat Ali and Muhammed Ali were the foremost Khilafat leaders who vehemently supported Gandhi in his nationwide tour to spread the movement.

• They were later arrested.

Motilal Nehru:

• He renounced his legal practice in response to the non-cooperation call by Gandhi.

• He was arrested in 1921.

Lala Lajpat Rai:

• Initially, he was not in favour of the policy of non-cooperation, but later he supported the movement.

• In fact, he protested against its withdrawal in 1922.

Rajendra Prasad:

• He actively supported the Gandhian movement in Bihar.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel:

• He spread the movement in Gujarat and regarded non-cooperation as a feasible alternative to revolutionary terrorism to fight against a colonial government.

Alluri Sitaram Raju:

• He led the tribals in Andhra and combined their demands with those of the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Hasrat Mohani:

• He was a Khilafat leader who condemned the arrest of the Ali brothers and demanded complete independence.

Purushottamdas Thakurdas, Jamnadas Dwarkadas, Cowasji Jehangir, Phroze Sethna, and Setalvad:

• They belonged to the industrialist section and launched an Anti-Non-Cooperation Association in 1920.

Kunjahammed Haji, Kalathingal Mammad, Ali Musaliar, Sithi Koya Thangal, and Imbichi Koya Thangal:

• They acted as presidents of the Khilafat Republics set up at a number of places.

K. Madhavan Nair, U. Gopala Menon, Yakub Hasan, and P. Moideen Koya:

• They were the Khilafat leaders and supporters of the Non-Cooperation Movement